Comparison of Satellite-Derived and In-Situ Observations of Ice and Snow Surface Temperatures over Greenland ...

• Main Authors: Hall, Dorothy K., Box, Jason E., Casey, Kimberly A., Hook, Simon J., Shuman, Christopher, Steffen, Konrad
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2008
• Subjects: Greenland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.13016/m2iano-exn1; https://mdsoar.org/handle/11603/24286

The most practical way to get spatially broad and continuous measurements of the surface temperature in the data-sparse cryosphere is by satellite remote sensing. The uncertainties in satellite-derived LSTs must be understood to develop internally-consistent decade-scale land surface temperature (LST) records needed for climate studies. In this work we assess satellite-derived “clear-sky” LST products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and LSTs derived from the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) over snow and ice on Greenland. When possible, we compare satellite-derived LSTs with in-situ air temperature observations from Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) automatic weather stations (AWS). We find that MODIS, ASTER and ETM+ provide reliable and consistent LSTs under clear-sky conditions and relatively-flat terrain over snow and ice targets over a range of temperatures from −40 to 0 °C. The ...